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Here we explore the best graphics card configurations that can provide effective gaming laptop experience. It is one of the components that define the gaming experience you will have on your laptop besides memory and processing power. In this guide we provide you tips on the Best GPU For Gaming that are ideal for screens of varying resolutions and for providing crisp visuals.

GPU for 720p resolution – standard laptops

Graphics card, such as NVIDIA GeForce MX150 is the best option for you to explore. The other alternatives for computer screens of 720p resolution are NVIDIA GTX 960M or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M; you could even opt for NVIDIA GeForce 940MX. Laptops that come with such screen resolution usually range from $500 to $1500 such as Acer Aspire E 15 series, Dell Inspiron 15 7000 and others. Laptops with such resolution are best for low to medium level gaming and hence, GPUs of the low end usually are sufficient. You would do well to opt for a GPU of the above configuration when opting for chunky and budget laptops.

GPU for 1080p resolution – medium to high level gaming

When you have laptops like Dell Inspiron 15 7000 gaming series, Alienware 13, Asus ROG Strix and others with screens that can support 1080p, you need to ensure that the GPU you get fitted with such a computer can provide the right visuals and output for such screens. These laptops usually have screens that support resolution of 1920×1080 or have FHD technology. In such cases you have picked among GPU configurations like the GeForce GTX 1050, GTX 1060 Max-Q, GTX 1050 Ti and GTX 1060. Usually laptops of such configuration come in the price range between $900 to $1800; while most laptops come pre fitted with GPU of such configuration, in case you are planning to build a gaming laptop with the resolution mentioned above, you would want to source one of these GPU cards.

GPU for 1440p resolution – high frame rates and more

Screens with resolution of 1440p are built for offering great visuals and such technology needs to be powered by the right GPU. Here again, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 or the GTX 1070 Max-Q card proves ideal; a gaming laptop is usually equipped with such GPU configuration and come in the price range between $1700 and $2300. Examples of laptop models of this range are Alienware 17, Asus ROG Zephyrus, HP Omen 17 and others. Laptops with such resolution screens can support games of high frame rates with such GPU. They usually come with 120Hz panels. Previous models of notebooks that had screens to support such resolution were of 15 or 17 inch screen that weighed heavy. The latest GPUs such as NVIDIA’s Max-Q series offer slimmer versions that can provide similar or more performance and can still be carried around such as Asus ROG Zephyrus or Gigabyte Aero 15X.

GPU for 4K resolution – highest level gaming possible today

GPUs built to support laptops with screens to support 4K resolution need to offer maximum power. These are models like NVIDIA GTX 1080 Max-Q or GeForce GTX 1080. Laptops that have screens to offer a 4K gaming experience range in premium price ranges such as $2700 up to $3300. The laptops that are available in this range are Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501VI, EVGA SC17, MSI GT75VR and others. These laptops can support resolution 3840×2160 and allows you to play games with high frame rate and at the highest settings. There are variable refresh rates and G sync panel displays that provide a smooth and high resolution gaming experience. Remember that GPUs such as the GTX 1080 cannot support high frame rates all the time and hence you might want to lower the resolution and run the games at a high refresh rate.

This can be achieved on laptops with 15 and 17 inch displays with GTX 1080 GPUs which make for lightweight models. However, for such GPUs you would be paying a higher price than other versions.

GPU for eSports games – video games of different genres

When you are running eSports games on a gaming laptop you need to opt for GPUs with configurations like NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050; other versions that are also good for such gaming laptops are GeForce 940MX or NVIDIA GeForce MX150. Usually laptops that can handle the different kinds of eSports games running on them are the ones that are built for medium level gaming and average around $500. Examples of laptops in this range are Acer Aspire E 15, Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501VI, Dell Inspiron 15 Gaming and others. Running eSports games on laptops does not require much GPU power and it also depends on the screen resolution that your laptop has. With the standard laptops you can also make do with lower end GPUs like MX150 or 940MX. These will also help you run such video games with ease.

Recommendation: The top 10 top list guide

The top GPUs that would support your gaming experience of different resolutions are:

NVIDIA GeForce MX150.

NVIDIA GTX 960M.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M.

NVIDIA GeForce 940MX.

GeForce GTX 1050.

GTX 1060 Max-Q.

GTX 1050 Ti.

GTX 1060.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070.

GTX 1070 Max-Q.

The above GPUs showcase the different configurations required to game on gaming laptop screens of varying resolutions. The power and capabilities of the GPUs also translate into resolutions and refresh rates that are supported on different laptop screens.

Conclusion

The above guide showcases the GPU configurations that help you game on different laptops with varying screen and visual technology. As the GPU decides on the kind of visual and responsiveness you would gain from running different kinds of gaming software, it is best to choose a gaming laptop with close attention to the GPU these come fitted with. If you plan to game at higher levels you can then choose to upgrade the GPU accordingly. Hence, if you are planning to game at higher level ensures that the other hardware components of your laptop have the capability to support such programs. In many gaming laptop models, upgrades are possible and with hardware support you can upgrade the GPU as well.

This guide has been created to offer tips on what specifications matter when buying a gaming laptop under 500 dollars. These depend on the graphics card, battery life, processor, which are the three foremost aspects to look into when making a gaming laptop purchase. All this and more are discussed in this guide.

Best Gaming Laptops Under 500 Dollars

Buying Gaming Laptop Under 500 Dollars:What To Look For

Tips#1 Graphics card or GPU – resolution and graphic details

This is one of the important aspects to look into when you are looking for agaming laptop. The basic choice would lie between choosing an NVIDIA graphics card or an AMD and both offer different choices that might leave you overwhelmed. In certain cases, when one wishes to game on 4K display screens, they need gaming laptops fitted with two graphics cards. At the time of taking a decision, it would be wise to check performance benchmarks against the kind of performance you expect out of your gaming laptop. Performance to value ratio also climbs steeply and hence, you could spend the extra buck to get more performance.

Tips#2 CPU – what gives your laptop power for performance

CPU aspects are usually decided between Intel and AMD, which are the main CPU brands that create gaming laptops. Intel is definitely way ahead in offering the best in performance and you will want to invest in laptops fitted with the flagship processor Core i7 or the i5; even if you opt for the earlier edition of i3 it would still outperform the AMD series that exists now. In general, the thumb rule to follow is that, the CPU generation should be more towards the latest than former models. Most power is provided by the latest Intel Core i7 or the 8th gen quad core i5; however, make a balanced choice as you also need to spend on the optimal configuration of memory and graphics card.

Tips#3 RAM and Drive – memory which makes a difference

Usually 8 GB RAM is standard which would be enough to help you game at beginner to medium levels. For those who run large applications at once, are doing video editing and also stream their games from online portals, they would get better performance with 12 or 16 GB RAM. Bear in mind that you should have a gaming laptop that allows you to upgrade the RAM later on. This will help you get more out of your laptop. You also need to choose between HDD and SSD. In the latter case upgrades are easier and also the space restrictions make SSD usage as a boot drive a better option. In certain cases opting for HDD would help to keep the costs down and also help you upgrade in the future as hard drive switches are also made easy these days.

SSD cam provides the right boost of speed when a laptop is booting as well as in loading games. Hence, if you are willing to splurge on a gaming laptop, then spending on the right SSD configuration would be a good investment. SSDs are also tough and last well even when you handle the laptop rough and while on the move. On the other hand, HDDs are mechanical and in certain cases, with movement and rough handling, it could lock up and become unresponsive.

Tips#4 Screen – viewing angle, resolution and more

The screen of the gaming laptop and its configuration and display technology would affect your gaming experience. Here there is a trade off that you need to decide, as the portable ones would have more compact screens while widescreen displays will offer greater visual pleasures. The laptops that come with bigger screens are more fun when you are gaming, but also remember that larger screens not only make laptops bulky and big but also such laptops consume more power. Hence, a compact gaming laptop will last longer on the last full charge than a larger model would. It would be best to opt for a screen of 1080p resolution. This is a sensible choice and offers good gaming experience. Premium 4K screens are taking over the market, but supporting such premium graphics requires hardware of greater configuration as the frame rate is higher.

Tips# 5 audio and keyboard – Other factors to consider

There are several other factors that define the performance and output of a gaming laptop. Those who are looking to game for long and on the move need to be bothered about battery life. Certain brands such as Lenovo and Dell are known to offer quality, battery life for their gaming laptop series. However, always looking for a laptop with a bigger battery would also mean greater weight and heat. Also a bigger battery could still give up when you have gamed on the highest settings for an hour. Hence rechargeable options should be available when you are gaming consistently on the go.

Sound quality should be good so that you can have an immersive gaming experience. Most built in speakers of gaming laptops can provide mediocre to average sound and hence you need to enhance the sound with portable speakers or noise cancelling headphones. The other aspect that also makes a difference in the comfort level of gaming is track pad and keyboard. The feedback on the keyboard should be good and track pad should be smooth and responsive. This is another aspect that many gamers stress upon. Some wish to have a gaming laptop with a mechanical keyboard so that the feedback of the keys is responsive as compared to the soft touch keys of the other keyboard designs.

Top 3 Gaming Laptops Under 500 Dollars

Asus VivoBook Gaming Laptop review

Here we take a look in detail at the Asus VivoBook gaming laptop review, which is a popular laptop to consider in the category of gaming laptops under 600. Read through the review details to know what to expect out of this laptop. This computer comes equipped with the latest hardware components to offer you a reliable version as a gaming laptop for medium level gaming that you can move around with.

Pros

This particular gaming laptop model offers the following benefits:

The product is reasonably priced

Build quality is sturdy

The keyboard has a backlit design

Performance is good

Cons

The laptop has the following limitations:

Battery life could be better

Audio quality is mediocre

Fingerprint sensors are placed awkwardly which hinders fast detection

Bottom line

This particular Asus VivoBook gaming laptop is known for the lightweight design that it comes with. However the widescreen display does not make the dimensions too compact but also offers several viewing angles and pleasurable graphics viewing. The computer comes equipped with the latest hardware components to offer you a reliable version among gaming laptops under 600 that you can move around with. However the screen resolution also takes up quite a lot of power for which you need to have backup power connectivity available.

Hardware configurations – what you get

This laptop from Asus, built for gaming and multitasking, has a lightweight, thin model, but has the right processing power and speed as well as other hardware components to ensure good and reliable performance. It comes fitted with an Intel Core i7 processor which ensures enough power for gaming and running different computer applications. It is fitted with a graphics card the NVIDIA GeForce 940MX which ensures optimal performance and crisp visuals. The other components such as hard disk and memory options determine the number of applications you can keep running at a particular point in time on your device as well as how fast is the booting time and response time of your gaming actions on this model among gaming laptops under 600.

Display and resolution details – screen and visuals

This is one of the highlighted features of this Asus VivoBook gaming laptop. Even though it comes with a lightweight design, it has a NanoEdge wide view display. The Asus VivoBook features wide view technology with a viewing angle of 178 degrees. This ensures that contrast and color details are bold and vivid and one can view the screen from different angles. This makes it great for sharing content with colleagues and friends. The bezel is ultra narrow and has an incredible ratio of eighty percent of screen to the body. The screen of the laptop is 15.6” and is of HD technology.

Memory details – storage and boot time

Besides the processing power of the laptop, the other factor that determines performance is memory. This particular laptop comes with 1 TB of HDD and 8 GB of DDR4 RAM. Such memory features ensure that booting happens faster and gaming as well as other computing applications can be run simultaneously with a certain processing speed.

Connectivity – port options

Connectivity options for this model among gaming laptops under 600 are USB ports of different types including USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports and type C port; HDMI connectivity is present as well as Wi-Fi technology that ensures lightning fast connections.

Recommendation: The top 10 top list guide

Other laptops you can consider in this category are:

Acer E7

Acer Aspire E 15

Acer Nitro 5 Gaming Laptop

Dell Inspiron 15 5000 5577 Gaming Laptop

Huawei MateBook D

Asus VivoBook Gaming Laptop

Dell Inspiron 5000 Gaming Laptop

2018 Dell Inspiron 15 5000 Flagship

Dell i5577-5328BLK-PUS

Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Series Gaming Edition

Summary

Here you can gain a fair idea about gaming laptops under 600, especially after going through the details of Asus VivoBook gaming laptopreview.

Conclusion

The above tips highlight the main focus factors for gaming laptops. These aspects are usually provided in different combinations in the known and popular gaming laptop models. Besides choosing the right combination of configuration, be sure to check feedback and expert reviews before you make a purchase decision. There are many gaming laptops that are priced modestly but include all the configurations that can offer you a good gaming experience. Hence, you need not break the bank, but find a gaming laptop that fits your budget as well as has the ideal configuration as well.